Well... It Has Been Fun

I am happy to say that this will be my last post. I say "happy" because this is the perfect time for me to call my blogging experience to an end. Anything more would be forced. I have really enjoyed my time with you and I am so thankful for all the positive feedback I have received. It has been a summer of growth for me in many respects, and I am excited about the next season of my life.

I promised you a deep post. As far as this blog is concerned, the poem that I recently posted will have to suffice. That describes as well as anything else the joys and frustrations of being a redeemed man in a suit of skin.

I also gave you a teaser about some humorous Ward family Thanksgiving experiences. I will be more than happy to relate this to you... just ask me about it sometime.

I hope that I have been consistent and real with you. I love you all.

If you haven't gathered this from our time together, the bedrock of my life is my relationship with Jesus Christ. Everything I am comes back to this relationship. I challenge you to know what you believe about Christ.

I would love to talk with you about this.

There are others of you that I do not know outside of this arena. I would enjoy getting to know you as well. If any of you want to share with me further, I would love that. You can always email me at jward.2008@alumni.opt.uh.edu.

And if I don't see ya... Good afternoon, good evening, and good night.

Carry On, My Wayward Socks

I have four khaki socks and they are all from a different pair.

Why can't I just wear flip-flops to clinic?

Too Weird

Here is a random realization I came to this weekend:

My Grandfather's name is Melvin
His new wife's name is Phyllis
My Dad's name is Mel
His brother's name is Phil

Too weird.

Poem of the Day

I am weak and I am strong,
I am right and I am wrong,
I'm this living, breathing paradox called man.

I am ashes, I am flame,
I am fierce, and I am tame,
And there is fear in me that makes it hard to stand.

So, where does that leave me on this place that we call earth.
I'm alive, but I'm just learning how to live.
God, please fight these battles that I am losing in my heart.
What You ask of me, is what I'll gladly give.

I am not the answer.
No, I am not the way.
If You want me to follow,
Then I will leave today.
Cause I don't want to be here,
But You want me to stay,
This man of contradictions,
So I will bow and say,
"It is You."

- Justin Ward

Adventures in H-Town

There is a little backstory to my adventure in H-Town that will make the story much more enjoyable. Last weekend I went to visit my grandpa (Melvin) and his new wife Phyllis. This was actually a pretty uneventful trip, but there are a few interesting morsels that I will share with you at a different time.

Something tragic did happen while I was up in Austin that you do need to know about... I lost my hair gel. Now, this is not just any hair gel. This is Aquage Transforming Paste. You can't pick this stuff up at your local Target... Only the finest salons carry Aquage Transforming Paste. It isn't really gel at all. The product that it most resembles is Elmer's Glue, but it is the secret to my amazing hair style. So, one of today's top priorities was purchasing a new bottle of Aquage Transforming Paste. I looked online for retailers that carried this glorious product, and found one located dowtown, which is just a few miles from where I live.

Fast-forward a half-hour or so, and you would have found me somewhere around Rusk and Main looking for Irma's Beauty Salon. I circled the block a few times, but was unable to find out where Irma had set-up shop. At this point I decided to continue my search on foot. I parked in a lot nearby and continued my quest. Did I mention this Transforming Paste is really good stuff?

Still unable to find Irma's Beauty Salon, I entered the building where I thought that it was located and soon found myself in Houston's underground tunnel system. Now things are getting interesting. Here I am in a T-shirt and Baseball Cap while all these nicely dressed young professionals scurry around like ants inside an ant-hill. I still don't see any sign of Irma, but I thought I might do some tunnel exploration as this was the first time I had ever been down in the tunnels. I wandered around for awhile, got hungry, stopped in at a Subway Sandwhich Shop, got my sandwhich, and headed back up to the surface. At this point I made a major error.

I exited at a different part of the tunnel system than I started. Many guys are born with an innate sense of direction, but mine seems to fail me more often than not. I'm sure I was never further than a half mile away from my car, but it took me at least twenty minutes to find my car, and even then I found it completely by the grace of God.

So, after paying for parking, I ended up with a $15 Subway sandwich and some nappy hair. I think I better take a nap before I attempt another search for my Transforming Paste... or maybe I'll just go to Target and get a bottle of Elmer's Glue.

A Moment in Narnia

"Both children were looking up into the Lion's face as he spoke these words. And all at once (they never knew exactly how it happened) the face seemed to be a face of tossing gold in which they were floating, and such a sweetness and power floated over them and entered into them that they felt they had never really been happy or wise or good, or even alive and awake, before. And the memory of that stayed with them always, so that as long as they both lived, if ever they were sad or afraid or angry, the thought of all that golden goodness, and the feeling that it was still there, quite close, just around some corner or just behind some door, would come back and make them sure, deep down inside, that all was well."

- The Magician's nephew

Sorry Guys

No new post from me today. I just left an hour long comment on Shanna's blog, so if you want something from the Eye Doctor today, you are going to have to read that.

Peace out.

Marc Broussard = Pop Star?

I have recieved some unexpected feedback from a few people about an off-hand comment I made to Shanna concerning Marc Broussard. In this conversation I "accused" Marc of having too much of a "pop" sound. This can mean different things to different people, so let me clarify.

First, my judgement of Marc is based on his album Carencro. I was unable to attend his recent concert in Houston, which I hear was an amazing show. So for the sake of this argument, I want us to take a look at the albums that Marc Broussard has in print. I believe this is the only way that we can maintain some continuity in this discussion.

Carencro

Home- For the record, this song is one of the best fusions of blues and rock that I have ever heard. The guitar licks are awesome, the vocals are presented with personality and fervor. This song is satisfying on every level. Marc has a great voice and he knows how to use it to compliment this neo-blues style.

My critique lies with the rest of this album. The five songs that follow Home are, in my mind, firmly rooted in a pop sensibility instead of a blues-rock style. Listen to Rocksteady or Come Around and then go back and listen to Home. If I didn't know any better I would have said that these songs were from a different album. Now don't misunderstand what I am saying. They are good songs. Marc has the vocal talent to make all of these songs work. I can't help but like Where You Are, but I still get the feeling that this is not where his talent is best suited.

I feel like Marc got a little lost in the production of this album. Case in point... listen to The Wanderer. This is an awesome song, one of the album's strongest, but it still lacks the grit of Home. Now listen to the live version of The Wanderer that is available on iTunes. This live recording puts the acoustic and vocals front and center. Hear the difference?

Marc needs to pursue that edgy, raw sound that he seems to be capturing at his shows. I have heard G. Love describe this as "attacking the song" instead of "laying back in the cut." Broussard completely rips apart Home and then presents the listener with a group of songs that lay back in the cut.

My main problem with this album is that it is trying to be too many things. Marc Broussard can only be a success with a voice like that. No question. But, if he wants to make good music he needs to decide what he is. Will he be a southern boy from Louisiana that perfects his soulful blues-rock style, or will he try to be a pop artist in the vein of Gavin DeGraw and Daniel Powter?

Time will tell.

Greg is Back!

Greg is doing the blog thing again after a long hiatus. You should check it out.

If my blog is frosting, then Greg's blog is the cake. I want you to laugh, know how much I love you, and know how much God loves you. Greg wants to challenge you and give you something to chew on and think about.

Don't just eat frosting... because the cake is where the real adventure takes place.

Plus, if you just eat frosting you will end up with Type 2 Diabetes... And that isn't cool at all.

An Exercise in Contradictions

Okay guys, my "deep" post is still in the works, so bear with me. Here is a Justin moment for you in the meantime.

Sunday morning I realized that I was low on gas, so I stopped by my neighborhood Shell station to get some fuel. While I was pumping gas, a man came up to me and explained that he was completely out of gas and money. He was near his destination, but needed a few gallons of gas to get where he was headed.

I love it when this happens. Getting the opportunity to help a real person with a real need doesn't seem to happen everyday. As I was pumping some gas for this gentleman, we began to talk a little bit. He asked me where I was headed... I told him church... He asked me which church... I said First Baptist Houston. It was a good little conversation. I didn't leave there knowing anything about his spiritual health, but I felt like we connected.

As I left the Shell station I was very encouraged, disappointed that I hadn't been quite as bold with my faith as I could have been, but I still felt like it was a very cool "hands and feet" moment.

As I pulled out of the gas station I had a smile on my face... What a good start to the day! As I was thinking about this, I completely ran a red light.

Oops.